Air conditioning apparatus



April 4, 1939. c. T. MORSE AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1956 INVENTOR.

M ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED ,STATES AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Clark T. Morse, Detroit, Mich., assignor to American Blower Corporation, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Delaware Application April 9, 1536, Serial No. 73,580

4 Claims.

My invention relates generally to air conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to humidifying apparatus.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a new and improved humidifying apparatus which is eificient'in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a structure for humidifying apparatus for increasing the temperature of moisture laden air and for reducing the moisture content of the air at the heating means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a unitary structure for ridding air of excess moisture and for heating the air and one which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

The invention consists in the improved con struction and combination of parts, to bemore fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and dis- I tinctly claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawing, to be taken as a part of this specification, I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention. In which drawing- Figure 1 is a side view shown in central longitudinal cross section of a humidifying apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational View of my combined heater and air baflie structure shown removed from the apparatus of Fig. 1;

, Fig. 3 is a view in vertical cross section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end view of my combined air heatin and baiiie structure, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view shown in perspective of my air battle and heater structure.

' Referring to the drawing by characters of reference the numeral I designates in general a cabinet of a humidifying apparatus, the cabinet being rectanggar in shape and having an air inlet 2 at one end and an air outlet 3 at the other end. Preferably an air filter l is provided at the inlet 2 for cleansing the air of dust and other foreign matter. Air may be drawn into the cabinet through the inlet 2 and be discharged from the outlet 3 by means of a fan or blower enclosed in a housing 5 in cabinet I. The fan is preferably located near the outlet 3 and may be driven by an electric motor 6. Air is drawn into the fanhousing 5 which has an outlet I from which the air is discharged and propelled through a conduit or duct II to a room or other enclosed space that is to be air conditioned.

Disposed within the cabinet I and preferably adjacent the inlet 2 there is a moisture spray device I to which is connected a water supply pipe II. The spray device 8 has a discharge nozzle II from which a stream of water is discharged in the direction of the air stream, or

toward the outlet end of the cabinet I, and impinges against a flat surface l2 of a baiiie'member I3 to produce a finemoisture spray or mist. The baffle member I3 may be supported by a bracket I4, or by anyother suitable supporting 5 means. In the bottom wall of the cabinet I there is preferably a drain it for the draining of excess moisture fromthe cabinet.

Disposed within the cabinet I between the fan and the moisture spray device 9 is my combined 10 air heater and baflie' structure which is desi nated in general by the numeral I5. The'structure I5 is substantially rectangular in shape and extends between the top, bottom and side walls of the cabinet I and substantially parallel to the end walls of the cabinet, or transverse to the direction of flow of air through the cabinet. The heating means of the structure I5 preferably comprises a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending pipes or conduits l6 connected and secured to end header members I! to which a heating medium such as hot water is supplied for circulation through the pipes I6. Preferably each'of the end header members II has aninlet I8 adjacent its upper end for receiving a supply pipe l9, and has an outlet 20 adjacent its lower end for receiving. a return pipe or conduit 2|. The header members II position against opposite inner side walls of the cabinet I and the spaced conduits l6 extend therebetween in the path of the air stream and transverse, or at right angles to the direction of flow of the air through the cabinet. Preferably the end header members I! are connected together at top and bottom by rectangular shaped plate members 22. The r plate members 22 preferably have reenforcing flanges 23 along their side edges which fit over upper and lower end portions of the header members I1 and may be secured to the header members by screws 24, or other suitable attaching means. 1

A plurality of spaced, rectangular shaped baffle plates 25 are disposed between the heating conduits I6 for the impingement of the moisture laden air thereagainst to reduce the moisture content of the air, or to eliminate any water that has not been completely taken up by the air. The rectangular shaped plates 25 extend longitudinally of the heating conduits I6, between the end header members I1, and cooperate to provide aplurality of air flow passages 26. The bailie plates 25 are secured, one to each of the heating conduits IS, in good heat transfer relation thereto and serve as extended heating surfaces for the heating conduits, as well as baflle plates for the air. The bafiie plates 25 may be soldered, welded, or otherwise suitablysecured to the heating conduits I6 and preferably the conduits are positioned substantially midway between the longitudinal edges of the plates and against the upper surfaces thereof. The longitudinal edges of the plates 25 may be termed the front and rear edges and are designated by the numerals 21 and 28 respectively. The plates 25 are substantially parallel to each other and are angularly disposed with the front edges 21 being below the rear edges 28 so that the plates present surfaces for the impingement of moisture laden air. The front edges 2'! of the plates 25 have downturned flanges 29, while the rear edges 28 of the plates have upturned flanges 30, and the downturned flanges of the platesoverlap the upturned flanges of successive plates. The upturned and downturned flanges 29 and 30 respectively of the baiile plates 25 provide surfaces for the impingement of moisture laden air that does not impinge against the surfaces proper oi the plates, and since these flanges overlap it will be seen that no air will be able to pass through the as follows: Air is drawn into the cabinet I through the inlet 2 by the fan and entrains moisture as it passes through the moisture spray, the entraining of the moisture reducing the temperature of the moisture laden air. The moisture laden air then flows to the heating and baiile structure I2 where it comes into contact with the bafile plates 25* and the heating conduits IS. The air impinges against the surfaces of the angularly disposed plates 25 and against the front and rear flanges 21 and 28 thereof, and moisture such as large drops of water that have not been completely taken up by the air are removed from the air. The excess moisture is drained from the cabinet I through the drain I4 in the bottom wall of the cabinet. When the moisture laden air comes into contact with the heating conduits i6 and the bailie plates or extended surfaces 25,the temperature of the air is increased to the desired temperature, which increase in temperature induces evaporation and entraining of moisture by the air. Thus it will be seen that the heating baflle plates 25 function both to rid the air of excess moisture and to induce the entraining of moisture by the air with the result that the air leaving the structure l2 contains the proper mois-- ture content. The moisture laden air is drawn into the fan housing 5 and discharged therefrom through outlet 3 and propelled through the conduits 4 to the room or other enclosed space to be air conditioned.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letter Patent of the United States is:

1. In an extended-surface heat exchanger, a tube of heat conducting material for tempering the air and extending in a substantially horizontal direction and transverse to the direction of air flow, a plate member providing extended surface and having a longitudinally extending stepped portion conforming to the surface of said tube and secured in intimate heat transfer relation to said tube, said plate member being inclined to the path of air flow so that moisture entrained in the air to be heated will strike and be deposited upon said plate member upon deflection of the air stream by said plate member, said tube being spaced from the discharge edge of said plate member so that moisture deposited on said plate member may if unevaporated flow downward into the higher heat zone of said tube thereby increasing evaporation of the deposited moisture;

2. In an extended-surface heat exchanger, a tube of heat conductingmaterial for tempering the air and extending in a substantially horizontal direction and transverse to the direction of air flow, a plate member providing extended surface and having alongitudinally extending stepped portion conforming. to the surface of said tube and secured in intimate heat transfer relation to said tube, said plate member being inclined to the path of air flow so that moisture entrained in the air to be heated will strike and be deposited upon said plate member upon deflection of the air stream by said plate member, said tube being spaced from the air-approach edge of said plate member so that friction of the air stream on the deposited moisture will tend to move the moisture into the higher heat zone of said tube.

3. In an extended-surface heat exchanger, 9. tube of heat conducting material for tempering the air and extending in a substantially horizontal direction and transverse to the direction of air flow, a plate member providing extended surface and having a longitudinally extending stepped portion conforming to the surface of said tube and secured in intimate heat transfer relation to said tube, said plate member being inclined to the path of air flow so that moisture entrained in the air to be heated will strike and be deposited upon said plate member upon deflection of the air stream by said plate member, said tube being spaced from the discharge edge of said plate member so that moisture deposited on said plate member may if unevaporated flow downward into the higher heat zone of said tube thereby increasing evaporation of the deposited moisture, and a flange portion onsaid plate member adjacent its discharge edge to eliminate the supply of deposited moisture to the air stream at the discharge edge of said plate member.

4. In an extended-surface heat exchanger, a row of superposed spaced tubes of heat conducting material, a plurality of plate members, one for each of said tubes and having a longitudinally extending stepped portion conforming to the surface of said tubes and rigidly secured thereto in intimate heat transfer relation, said plate members being inclined to the path of air flow so that moisture entrained in the air to be heated will strike and be deposited on said plate members for evaporation, said plate members being so inclined and so spaced from each other that all of the air stream air must have an abrupt change in direction of flow and must impinge the plate member surface, each tube being positioned relative to the edges of its plate member so that deposited moisture on each plate member will be moved into the higher heat zone of the tube thereby increasing evaporation of the deposited moisture.

- CLARK T. MORSE. 

